


Reylo Unsolved

by HerSistersKeeper, pythia



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Internet Celebrity, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Hi Sara! You're my fave, The Buzzfeed Unsolved AU you didn't want
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-01
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2019-05-31 13:04:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15120002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HerSistersKeeper/pseuds/HerSistersKeeper, https://archiveofourown.org/users/pythia/pseuds/pythia
Summary: Hux was telling Poe about possible signs of demonic activity, when Ben finally snapped.There was a pentagram on the floor from some cultists who allegedly rented the house and conducted black masses in the basement. Demons weren’t real, black masses weren’t real, but Ben was really annoyed with Hux. A solution formed in front of him, right in the middle of the crudely spray-painted pentagram.Ben flopped onto the floor, right in the middle of the pentagram and yanked up his shirt. He began to rhythmically slap his stomach, “Hey there demons! It’s your boi. Can you come out and kill me so I can get out of this dumb fucking house and sleep in an actual hotel room?”Hux let out a loud screech, it was a cross between a shout of anger and yelp of fear.  “Poe! I cannot work in these conditions! I will not jeopardize my spiritual well-being because Ben Solo is an unbeliever.” He let out a huffy sigh and stormed up the basement stairs, slamming the door behind him.





	1. Buzzfeed Unsolved with Ben and Hux

**Author's Note:**

> We watch a lot of Buzzfeed Unsolved. We don't know if we have bigger crushes on Ryan or Shane. We do have the biggest crush on Sara, because Sara is the best. 
> 
> [Pythia](http://twitter.com/PythiaTweets) writes Ben Solo [HerSistersKeeper](http://hersisterskeeper.tumblr.com) writes Rey Kanata.

After the last Q&A, Poe had told Ben not to roll his eyes so much. It was really hard not to make disdainful faces or roll his eyes everytime that Armitage Hux spoke. He looked like a rejected Weasley brother, the one that even Molly had trouble loving. 

They were inside of the Sallie House, investigating a demonic presence. Hux was panicking and Ben was just done with the entire situation. Just the sound of Hux’s voice made Ben want to rip off his own face. 

Hux was telling Poe about possible signs of demonic activity when Ben finally snapped. 

There was a pentagram on the floor from some cultists who allegedly rented the house and conducted black masses in the basement. Demons weren’t real, black masses weren’t real, but Ben was really annoyed with Hux. A solution formed in front of him, right in the middle of the crudely spray-painted pentagram. 

Ben flopped onto the floor, right in the middle of the pentagram and yanked up his shirt. He began to rhythmically slap his stomach, “Hey there demons! It’s your boi. Can you come out and kill me so I can get out of this dumb fucking house and sleep in an actual hotel room?” 

Hux let out a loud screech, it was a cross between a shout of anger and yelp of fear. “Poe! I cannot work in these conditions! I will not jeopardize my spiritual well-being because Ben Solo is an unbeliever.” He let out a huffy sigh and stormed up the basement stairs, slamming the door behind him. 

Ben looked up at Poe from the floor, an innocent expression on his face, “What it something I said Poe?” 

Poe sighed and left the basement leaving Ben alone in dark. 

At BuzzFeed Video, a collaboration between the various shows was typical, if not encouraged. Ladylike would call on the Try Guys, the Try Guys would call on Unsolved, Unsolved called on...well, usually nobody. Finn knew that for a fact, which is why he stared at his phone in disbelief as Poe's number flashed across his screen again. Glancing at his Ladylike showrunners (who were deep in discussion about various face masks as they experimented with them on camera), the producer turned away to answer the phone.

"Aren't you in an investigation right now?" Poe merely chuckled at the lack of greeting, never a good sign.

"I mean, yes, but as you can hear..." Finn *could* hear someone screaming-- probably Hux-- and someone mockingly screaming back--definitely Ben-- in the background. He groaned a pit in his stomach forming as he heard a door slam on the other end of the phone.

"Don't tell me. You lost Hux."

"Lost Hux, and we need a fill-in for a couple weeks. I think you know who I'm calling about,” Poe began to pace nervously.

 

"After the makeup video, I don't even know if Rey will want to be in the same room as him." Finn pinched the bridge of his nose, staving off an impending headache.

“If it helps, Ben really liked her. He smiled. Only gifs and serial killers make him smile,” Poe didn’t like pleading, particularly to an attractive, younger man, but capitalism made everyone do some crazy shit.

"Yes, it was super clear by how he made a point to disparage her makeup skills throughout the video. She's a good sport, and if he hadn't been a bit of prick during filming, he probably could have landed a date with her if he wanted."

Finn narrowed his eyes, harrumphing. "You haven't even asked him yet, have you?"

“I don’t need to. We need someone on the show that’s a believer, and I bet she’s a believer. Ben wants to believe, but he wants to be an asshole more,” Poe chewed his lip, “Whatever Rey wants. I’ll get it for her. Set up the meeting, please. You saw the comments and the numbers on their individual work after. Does she want an office? She can have my office?” his pleas had become desperate, and his office was just a closet with a rolling chair wedged inside.

Finn groaned, wishing he could slam his head against one of the lighting rigs, but seeing that would wreck the lighting and put filming back by an hour or two (and ruin the current take Ladylike was on, something that would lead Kaydel to curse him out again), he instead forced himself to breathe.

"She has a desk that she likes and that she decorated, but then again, the office offer probably wouldn't hurt, seeing that you're asking to move her away from her friends for the foreseeable future." He heard Poe sputter, and he rolled his eyes.

"C'mon, Dameron, I'm not stupid. You don't want a fill-in for the next few weeks, you want a permanent fixture that you can dementedly ship with your brooding leading man. You're lucky that she likes the show and that I owe you one now."

“She can still do Ladylike videos - I know that Rey has amazing time management skills, I’ve seen her calendar. She schedules her tweets! Look, you know that this is nothing demented about this ship. You saw how they looked at each other. True love and capitalism going hand in hand? Let’s be real, I’d owe you more than just one,” Poe stood on the curb outside the Sallie House, watching as Hux marched out with his backpack and sleeping bag. 

Spotting Poe, Hux tore off his GoPro rig and threw it on the front lawn. He glared at Poe and flipped him off, “I’m done, Dameron.” A shiny Honda Civic across the street flashed its lights at Hux, the purple and white Lyft logo bright on the driver’s dashboard. 

Watching Hux clamber into the car and slam the door, Poe cleared his throat, “I’m going to owe you like, ten.”

"Yeah, well, I also know how *thrilled* Solo was when you tried to make the Holo ship--whatever that fucked up celebrity ship mashup the fans gave, maybe it was Sux-- sail. I was in the production meeting that he crashed to chew you out about it. I doubt he'll let that kind of shit fly again with a new partner." 

Finn glanced back to look at Rey, who was giggling with Rose as she struggled to keep a gel face mask on as she talked. He wasn't sure if she'd be devastated or excited about the opportunity. With a sigh, he turned back to the call. "A few conditions before I agree to ask Rey about the arrangement."

He didn't wait for Poe to mumble that he was listening, counting them off on his fingers. "One, you tell Ben before you let him get off the plane in L.A. I don't want him to be blindsided and be shitty at their first official meeting. Two, you do not force a ship on them. If the fans come up with it on their own, fine, great, whatever. But do not plant that seed or I will help Solo rip into you."

Poe stopped pacing, his heart beating a little too fast. He’d been joking about true love. Unless. “Does she like Ben?”

"I don't know, Poe, she doesn't exactly leave her diary lying around for everyone to read! She's professional, so even if she doesn't like him, she'll still be easy to work with, unlike Hux's prima donna ass."

Finn hemmed, trying to figure out one last condition that would really place the deal in his favor, the smile that cropped up on his face slow and maybe a bit sadistic. "Three-- any Ladylike video that Rey needs a partner, Solo is immediately drafted. Schedule be damned."

“Fine. Hang on for a sec, okay?” Poe moved the phone away from his mouth and waved a hand impatiently at Ben who came sloping out of the Sallie House with a smug smile on his face that blossomed into a boyish grin at the sight of Hux’s GoPro lying on the grass. “Solo! Hux quit. Rey Kanata is your new cohost. You’re going to be professional, and you’re going to be in EVERY video that Rey or Finn asks you to be in.”

Ben frowned deeply for a moment before the corner of his mouth twitched, revealing a dimple. He was certainly taking his sweet time processing this new information,”She agreed to this?”

"For the record, she doesn't even know that she's being drafted into this, we're in the middle of a shoot." Finn hissed into the phone, all but ready to face-palm. Dameron didn't have a subtle bone in his body.

“I don’t know yet. I hope so because otherwise, you’re going to have to go back to graduate school if she doesn’t.” Poe snarled before turning his back on Ben and lifted the phone back up to talk to Finn, “The corner of his mouth twitched. He’ll do it. Get Rey to agree.”

"Fine. I'll take her to lunch, tell her I half sold her off to the man whose Zodiac Killer theory is wack--call me biased, Poe, but we both know that Ben didn't present every possibility-- and if she doesn't rip me from limb to limb, then we'll just assume that that's a yes." 

Finn could hear Jess call cut on Rey and Rose, and he sighed, before growling into the phone, "Either you or Solo better Venmo me some money, because if I have to tell her this over lunch, I'm buying her goddamn caviar."

There was a muffled noise and Finn could hear Poe yell at Ben, “Send Finn a hundred bucks for lunch. He’s taking Rey out on your dime because you fucked this up.”

Finn’s phone chimed a moment later. Ben had sent him two hundred with a note, “This isn’t going to work unless you buy her drinks.”

Despite himself, Finn snorted at the note. "Tell Solo that he's smarter than I thought. Rey just finished her part of the shoot. You two better hope that getting her day drunk in the middle of work saves your show because if not, we're all getting fired for the level of unprofessionalism we're committing."

Pausing for a moment, Finn ticked over his memory of Rey's schedule for the rest of the week. It was just Tuesday, so there was plenty of time to get her acclimated and used to the idea before she'd get dragged off on her first video with them. "When are you two bozos getting back to LA anyway?"

Poe shifted uncomfortably,”Tomorrow morning. We both have the day off to sleep and then edit.” He looked down at the GoPro that Hux had tossed away, it was still recording. Excellent.

 

"Okay," Finn muttered to himself, rubbing his jaw as he thought. "You both may want to come into the office tomorrow anyways, at least for half an hour so that you can talk to Rey yourselves. I can't guarantee a yes, so this will either be a chance to cement details or for you two to grovel on your knees and appeal to her sense of pity."

“10-4 Finn. Just take her out, sell her on this, and text us when you have time for the three of us to sit down.”

Ben shifted uncomfortably as he watched Poe pace around the front yard of the Sallie House. Hux’s GoPro was still turned on, but he couldn’t be bothered to go get it to turn it off. “Poe, give me the phone. I want to talk to Rey.”

Finn wasn't sure if he wanted to relinquish the phone, especially on the request of someone who finally drove his costar away, but still, he let himself wander over to where Rey was perched, patting her face with a paper towel. 

She grinned brightly at him, and even though he knew he had done nothing morally wrong, Finn felt his gut twist up in guilt. "Hey Peanut, someone wants to talk to you."

Rey took the phone curiously, balling the paper towel up in her hand as she did. "Kanata speaking."

“Rey? It’s Ben Solo. Hux finally quit Buzzfeed Unsolved in the middle of our investigation of the Sallie House. Our producers are going to ask you to co-host the show with me, but I wanted to ask you that myself,” Ben had stepped away from Poe, turning his back so he couldn’t try to lipread whatever he was saying to Rey. Poe had no boundaries.

"Excuse me?" Rey's smile shrank by a molar, brow furrowing. "You're joking."

“Nope. I’m not. I think it’s a good idea. I’m never going to admit that in front of Poe, but I think you’d like it and would enjoy the work. We can work around your Ladylike schedule and I’ll be in whatever videos you or Finn ask me to do outside of Unsolved,” Ben sighed. He didn’t want a co-host, but he needed a co-host. Rey clearly cared about true crime, and the supernatural stuff was probably something she liked too.

Rey blinked, once, twice, thrice, looking at Finn, struggling to find words. She heard the words Ben was saying and yet, they seemed to be bouncing off the surface of her mind, refusing to sink in. 

The only thing that she could muster up was a snort. "I thought you hated me though. How desperate are you guys?"

Finn's face drained of color then, and Rey all but rolled her eyes, annoyance bubbling up now. No one had even really thought to ask her--even Ben had presented it as more of a statement of fact than a question.

“Rey, I hate everyone. That’s my deal. I’m not desperate. You’re my first choice. Desperation is doing the show with Mitaka or Poe,” Ben fidgeted, uncomfortable with how much talking about feelings he was having to do.

Rey huffed a laugh, rolling her eyes. "You really know how to sell yourself and the show. Why should I say yes?"

She held up a finger at Finn, who had opened his mouth to protest.

“You’ll be a co-writer and executive producer with me. You’ll share full creative control with me on all our episodes. Poe mostly takes care of logistics and any edits that annoy me,” he paused, trying not to breathe heavily into the phone. When did he become such a loud breather? Jesus.

"You realize that I already have that with my show now, right?" Rey countered, trying not to roll her eyes.

"Why should I stretch myself thin just so you can make fun of me for believing in ghosts and having better theories for unsolved crimes?"

She wasn't sure if she was exasperated or amused, hearing Finn sputter next to her. She was surprised that Poe hadn't yanked his phone back from Solo.

“I have deals with Amazon, Hulu, and Netflix. You’d get a cut of the streaming profits from those platforms. Also, I know for a fact that you once made Snap cry, so if I go too far, you’ll push back,” Ben paused and looked around to see if Poe was anywhere near him, “I believe in ghosts okay? I know they have to exist, but all of the science around them sucks. I don’t believe in demons. Everything else? I want to believe. I’m honestly ready to be convinced by compelling arguments with evidence.”

"And you think that I will be better than Hux?" Rey could hear Ben sigh exasperated as if he didn't expect her to be a hard sell. She chuckled, hating that her lips quirk into a small smirk.

“I know that you’ll be better than Hux because you told me off about my Zodiac episode and how hard you’re making me sell this. I can’t get lazy or half-ass anything because you’ll use that moment to take me out.”

Rey hummed to herself, and she could hear Ben's breath still for a moment as if he was holding it in anticipation. 

"Fine. When do we start, and what are your conditions?"

“We get back on Wednesday. My only condition is for Poe, no shipper bullshit. That’s been my only request and he hasn’t listened to me yet. So, if you’ll back me on that, I’ll back you on literally everything else,” he paused, “it makes me really uncomfortable and no one takes it seriously.” Ben’s voice was tired and sounded a little sad.

"It's a no-brainer, and falls in line with my condition: don't fall in love with me, Solo." She waited for a beat, hearing him snort. 

"Oh good, you know I'm joking. But yeah, no shipping is my condition too...and I think it's Finn's too," she added, glancing at Finn who was nodding almost frantically.

“Good. Good. We’ll use that against Poe. Also, don’t worry about that Rey. I don’t actually think I’m capable of being in love. See you tomorrow then?”

"See you then." Passing the phone back to Finn, Rey eyed him suspiciously. 

"You owe me and the girls a bottle of vodka each. You get to tell them the news since you were going to try to spring that on me. Goddammit, Finn."


	2. The First Planning Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Just try not to fall in love with me Solo."

Ben sat in the conference room waiting for Rey to arrive. He'd picked up burritos after following her on Instagram and seeing that she liked the local place down the street from their office. He wasn't nervous but felt oddly jittery. Like the time the Try Guys had him use caffeinated body wash and lotion. 

Rey let herself wait five minutes before she started her slow walk to the conference room, glancing back at her desk, her coat cheerfully thrown over the back of it. Even though she agreed to join Unsolved, she felt almost like she was walking away from the love of her life for an arranged match. Perhaps an odd analogy, she'd give herself that, but she blamed it on Jess's constant wedding chatter.

Of course, if she asked her Aunt Maz about it, she'd smirk at the millennial and tell her that it's a premonition of some kind, her eyes winking at her behind her larger spectacles.

Still, she bumped the conference room door open with her hip, the cardboard carrier of coffee heavy but fragrant as she rounded the table to sit across from Ben, his back to the door. If he wasn't nervous, well then, she was.

“Hi. I brought burritos. I saw you liked the place down the street on Instagram so, I stopped in.” Ben watched Rey set down her coffee carrier and messenger bag. She wore an ivory shirt that sort of wrapped around her and make her skin look even more gold-toned.

"Oh, thank you. I brought coffee?" Rey plucked up a paper cup, pushing it across the table to him. She sank into her chair, reaching for a burrito, grateful for the reason to be quiet, if for a moment.

“Excellent. I haven’t really slept since we left the Sallie House. I did all the edits because Poe actually started running a fever. He’s at home, and should be all strung out on NyQuil while we plan the rest of the season.” Ben smelled the hot coffee and sighed happily.

"Oh good, so we should be able to make some progress." Rey wiped her mouth with the back of her hand after taking one last bite of her burrito before reaching for her notes. She tapped them against the table solemnly to knock them into a neat pile, looking at Ben full in the face for the first time in a month. The moody man hadn't changed much, and she swallowed a lump in her throat, an odd fluttery feeling manifesting deep in her gut.

"Alright. So what were you planning before Hux left?"

Ben opened the folder on Google Drive and shared it with Rey. "I've shared my season outline with you on Google Docs. I have some good contacts on the East Coast, and I've gotten us permission to camp out at Willowbrook. There are also a few places in New York and the Northeast that have also given us permission as well. I'm still waiting to hear from the Gardner Museum."

"Let me guess-- if it wasn't the Sallie House that broke Hux, it'd be chasing after Bigfoot or something that would have done him in?" Rey simpered as she pulled up the document on her phone, feeling Ben's eyes subtly bore into her, as if he was concentrating on her dimples to stay sane and civil.

“Pretty much. I’m also trying to get us on this creepy doll island in Mexico? It looks like the worst place on the planet,” Ben leaned back, trying to appear relaxed. He wasn’t a relaxed kind of person, he was always ON and working.

"Oh god. If we do, please tell me at least a week in advance. I know someone who'll probably send me with a doll to add to the collection." Rey faked a shudder, cocking an eyebrow at Ben as he shifted in his seat again. It was as if he couldn't get comfortable.

"Sure. It's not on the itinerary yet. I'm still doing some legwork. I'm also sort of thinking about London? Maybe New Orleans or Savannah?" He stretched his neck and narrowed his eyes at his laptop screen. He could see Rey’s cursor skip across the document. 

"Savannah would be interesting, though that may be better as a finale in several parts. Lots of haunted ground to cover," she explained, reaching for another burrito and humming to herself.

“There are a few haunted inns that would probably be interested in having us do a lock-in. Plus, there’s some good true crime there too.” Ben nodded at Rey and began typing away at his laptop,”I made a subfolder for Savannah and put my spreadsheet of potential places in it.”

"Sounds like a plan," Rey murmured, pausing mid-burrito to think.

"Past the itinerary... What do you need me to do? For the show, as your co-host, et cetera? If you prefer to be co-workers who don't talk outside of work, I can do that." It was strange to offer that, but she had heard enough rumors and hearsay to know Ben was considered the office loner. While every BuzzFeed video cast seemed to hang out off camera, Ben made himself the firm exception.

Ben paused and looked at Rey over the top of his glasses, biting his lip for a moment before turning back to his laptop, “I don’t really know. No one has really ever offered to help or asked me what I preferred.”

"Oh." Rey blinked, wondering why her cheeks flushed when his eyes had met hers briefly. "Well, you don't have to answer or know right now. I just know that having two people working is better than one, especially if it means we present even better investigations for our viewers."

She glanced away from him before he could meet her eyes, finger swiping at her phone screen almost frantically. This was definitely a different experience, and she still didn't know how to respond to it all.

“Okay. If you want to just grab whatever looks interesting, and start on it, that works for me. I haven’t done much beyond the Cropsey research and making a few phone calls,” Ben gave her what he hoped was a small smile. No one really ever asked him to hang out after work, which he assumed he was fine with until Rey had suggested that they might actually socialize with each other. “If you did want me to come and hang out, I would come along... for a little bit.”

"It's up to you." Rey shrugged, tucking her hair behind her ear, trying to pretend that she was laid-back, cool, unaffected. Why, she wasn't quite sure, beyond the fact that she had a feeling that he didn't really care to get to know people unless absolutely necessary.

"Besides, it's not like my social life is popping. The girls have to drag me out of my apartment for drinks once a week; otherwise, I'd happily stay at home with paranormal podcasts and true crime docs. Oh, and books. Lots of books."

Ben perked up immediately, “What are you reading?” He wished that he could hang out with people and they’d just share snacks while everyone read or listened to their podcasts. It sounded a lot like how he spent his time at home.

"The Demonologist, about the Warrens, though I just started Mind Hunter." She peeked up at him almost shyly, fingers tracing across her pile of notes. She wasn't sure if his question was an invitation just to answer or to deepen a connection--if they even had one.

“I really like Mind Hunter, I liked all of Jonathan Groff’s musical theater work, but he was a really pleasant surprise,” Ben nodded at Rey’s choices, “I’ve been reading about Necrosearch and I’m hoping to do some True Crime episodes next season about the contributions of forensics in criminal investigations.”

“That would be different-- I think the fans would like it." Rey smiled at him, looking away and back at the season's plans.

"We should also start to focus on fan requests. And possibly consider releasing bonus material-- though I may be jumping ahead of myself. Just something to incorporate our likes and their likes too."

She hummed to herself as she fiddled with her coffee lid, looking back up at Ben. "So, be honest-- how spiritual are you? I know you said that you don't believe in demons but believe in ghosts, and well..." 

Rey puffed out her cheeks as she exhaled, trying to figure out how to properly describe her experience without her new coworker think she was a nut. "... I have some experience with ghost hunting. And by some, I mean a lot. I take it seriously."

Ben raised an eyebrow and looked at Rey over his laptop before closing it, “So, I don’t particularly believe in demons, but I am open to everything else. I do want to believe, and believe in you know, the spiritual.”

"I ask because there are some things that I won't do. Like I don't fuck with Ouija boards. I'm fine with playing the flashlight game with spirits. Pendulums are fine but not great since demons like to fuck with them since you can't distinguish between ghosts and demons with it," she caught his disbelieving eyebrow raise, and she rolled her eyes.

"Listen, just because you don't believe doesn't mean that I don't want us to get possessed. I'm not a Catholic, but I will be carrying holy water and blessed salt with me because my aunt would be pissed if I brought a demon home for dinner. You don't have to use them, but better safe than sorry."

“Okay. So, those are your hard limits, and that seems reasonable,” he sat back, “I don’t really have any hard limits, at least when it comes to ghost hunting.”

“Your aunt? I take it she believes?” Ben hummed, considering what his life would be like if anyone in his family was even slightly interested in anything he was interested in. 

“That's probably an understatement. She's a clairvoyant. Seen a lot of shit. And before you ask, no, I didn't inherit her sixth sense. Just her beliefs." She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Maz is a trip and a half."

Ben started and raised his eyebrows at Rey, obviously impressed. “Whoa, that’s awesome. Would she, like meet with us and give us and the viewers some tips? I’ve never had an expert come talk with us.” He felt a little giddy with excitement at the idea of having an expert come on the show.

"She'd probably love that. She used to do talk shows in the 70s, and was considered a backup to the Warrens." Rey beamed proudly, tapping on her phone.

"If you want, we can FaceTime her right now and ask her. She's probably just puttering around her garden or kitchen right now. She lives in Pasadena."

Ben nodded eagerly, “Absolutely.”

"You're such a nerd," she muttered, waving at him to come around the table. After many ghost investigations over the years, Maz didn't take too kindly to situations where she could only hear someone and not see them. It was better to have Ben onscreen now so she didn't think he was a demon later.

Maz picked up the call almost immediately, peering at Rey over her large spectacles, her sun-darkened face almost washed out under the bright lights of her kitchen.

"I had a feeling you were about to call," the old woman smiled, and despite her eye-roll, Rey smiled back.

Ben hovered anxiously behind Rey, trying to inconspicuously catch a glimpse of her aunt Maz, without being rude.

"Rey, can you tell that boy lurking over your shoulder to bend down? I can't see his face." Maz squinted at Rey through the phone and pursed her lips, annoyed that she couldn’t quite see Ben. 

Rey smirked, glancing at Ben. "You heard the lady. Just sit down, she can't bite you through the screen."

“Oh, hi. I’m Ben,” he sat down next to Rey ungracefully, the chair creaked ominously and he tried not to sneak a glance at Rey from under his eyelashes.

"Ah, yes, I recognize you. Rey carried your presence around with her a few days about a month ago." Maz leaned forward, and Rey choked on her tongue as her aunt added, "You made my grand-niece very pretty and I was disappointed that there wasn't a better reason that your energy imprinted on hers."

This old bat will be the death of my social life, Rey cursed to herself, not daring to look over at Ben. He probably looked gobsmacked by now, and it was hardly two minutes into the conversation.

“I’m sorry ma’am. I’m not a pleasant person to be around, but I promise to try to be kinder to Rey,” Ben shivered a little.

"No, Ben, she meant that... You know what, I'm going to leave it." Rey shook her head as her aunt seemingly bit back a cackle, taking her glasses off to polish the lens.

"I know why you called. You want some guidance for your show. A few questions I can answer. I have time-- my pie won't be ready until half an hour from now."

Ben glanced over at Rey, she’d gone a little pink in the cheeks and without thinking, he reached over and squeezed her forearm, in a way that was hopefully reassuring.

Maz grinned widely at the sight of this and Rey knew that her aunt would have so many questions for her after work. She cleared her throat and turned to Ben. "So any questions you have for Maz, or should we just ask her what we came for?"

“Cut to the chase, I would rather get into it when we have time.”

"Okay. Aunt Maz, would you mind being a source for the show? Maybe a guest-star too?" Rey sighed, hearing her aunt chortle with glee.

Ben watched, fascinated, as he caught a glimpse of teenage Rey, simultaneously proud of and embarrassed by Maz. “I hope that you’ll say yes. We’ve never had a guest before, and I have really wanted to work with someone who has your level of expertise.”

"If I didn't say yes, Rey would curse me just a little. Of course, as long as you aren't stupid with your knowledge." Maz chuckled at Rey's eyeroll.

"You should come to dinner this week. I make an amazing pot pie."

“Well, it’s good to know that I have more than a few compelling reasons to stay on Rey’s good side,” Ben replied with a small smile at Maz.

Rey rolled her eyes, snorting. Leave it to her aunt to charm someone within minutes of meeting them. Next thing she knew, Maz would probably be trying to have Ben join the family.

"Rey, I can practically hear you thinking. You haven't been giving this gentleman any trouble, have you?"

She groaned, "It's my first day working with him, so no, auntie." Rey glanced over at Ben as if to confirm that she wasn't completely lying.

“No, I’m the troubled one, ma’am. I do promise to be less trouble when I can help it.”

Maz rolled her eyes at this, adjusting her glasses so that she could peer over them at Ben. She was quiet for a minute as if she could see every bit of trouble Ben had ever caused in the curve of his jaw, the deepening forehead wrinkle. 

"I have a feeling the two of you will be mutually causing the other one trouble." She shrugged, wagging a finger at Ben. "Just don't fall in love with my niece-- I figure that if she waits a few more years, I can marry her off to a rich old man that I can curse to death."

"Not this again," Rey muttered weakly, wondering if Ben was about to laugh or solemnly accept it. "She's joking, Ben. Completely joking."

"She's right. I'd sooner marry her off for a couple of chickens instead of an entire estate."

“On behalf of all my fellow old men, I’m both offended and pleased by that scheme.” Ben’s small smile looked a little mischievous, “I also promise not to fall in love with Rey, I’m not that sort of guy.”

You're, like, 30. You're not an old man." Rey rolled her eyes at Ben before glancing back at her aunt, who had an all too knowing smile on her face.

"Was there anything else you needed to ask, Ben, or can I disconnect the call before she starts asking if you have any suitable cousins I could marry?"

“It’s about mileage, not the years... For the record - no one in my family is suitable for anything that isn’t smuggling, or politics,” Ben raised an eyebrow at Rey.

Rey sighed with exasperation as Maz cackled through the phone. "Oh, I like this one, Rey."

"I'll make sure he'll take my place at dinner on Sunday because I think the two of you together could give me a stroke." Rey rolled her eyes, smiling all the same at her aunt. "I'll call you back after work, okay? I love you."

Ben kept his laughter to himself, but it was nice to see another side of Rey Kanata. She was fierce and incredibly professional, which made her a pretty decent coworker, but Rey might turn out to be someone he actually liked being around.

Rey tapped out of the FaceTime conversation, setting her phone face down on the table before leaning her head against the table as well. 

Her question to Ben was muffled by her arms as she muttered, "Well, was that everything you wanted and more?"

She glanced up at him, wondering if there was a hint at a smile on his lips. "Don't laugh too hard, Solo-- if you give me more than two gray hairs, I'm having Finn kick your ass."

“I’m not laughing at you, I promise. I’m glad that you’ve got such good connections and experience.” Ben considered patting Rey on the shoulder or arm to reassure her.

"You only say that because you know my aunt can curse the pants off of anyone," Rey smirked at Ben, shaking her head. 

"Was there anything else you wanted me to know before I get started, or shall we can get started to real?"

“Nope, I’m good to get into it.”

"Good." Rey grinned at him, pushing her chair back so she could stand and lightly shoulder-check him.

"Well, Mr. Solo, I wish you luck in trying to drive me off like you did to Hux. I'm completely invested so even if you try to kill me, I'll still be back every day to haunt your ass."

“Rey, I’m not going to drive you off. Remember, I’m the one that called you and asked. I don’t do take backs or insincerity.” Ben pretended that Rey’s shoulder check hurt him, pulling a pained face. 

"Good." She rolled her eyes at him, giggling all the same. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm about to get lost in the black hole known as the internet since you've already assigned me to a few cold cases."

She shoulder-checked his other side for good measure, flashing a smile back at him as she headed out of the conference room, laptop under her arm and another burrito in hand.

Ben felt a little disappointed as he watched Rey leave the conference room. Sighing, he opened his laptop up and settled down to work. It looked like everything was back to normal.


	3. The Winchester Mystery House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unsolved's first overnight after Hux departs the show.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're at it again.

Ben drummed his fingers on the steering wheel before reaching down to grab his cup of coffee, only to find Rey reaching down for her cup at the same time. ”Sorry.” Ben muttered, putting his hands back on the steering wheel.

"No worries. I think I'm stealing your space since Poe was threatening to steal mine." She leaned forward a bit, glancing back their producer, who was already passed out in the backseat. 

"I don't know how Poe can sleep like this-- driving isn't exactly relaxing." She smiled wanly at Ben, feeling his leg bouncing, almost nervously. "Do you need to go to the bathroom? We can stop, we’re pretty close to the Winchester Mansion.” 

“No, I just hate sitting still, even though I’m the one driving” His smile was rueful and a little shy. 

"I prefer driving, road trips over flying. Like either way, I'm stuck in a metal death trap, but at least I'm closer to the ground in a car." Rey shrugged, "My aunt Maz claims that I've been afraid of heights since she brought me home from England, but I just really don't like turbulence and having a long way to fall. I'd rather take my chances hitchhiking."

“Flying is safer than driving, my dad actually taught me how to do it. I haven’t done it in years. I think being afraid of heights is pretty common, as long as you’re not afraid of ghosts or anything,” Ben continued to fidget and watch the cars in front of him, feeling strangely impatient to get the shoot started. 

"I think I have a healthy fear of ghosts, though I view it as respecting the spirits." Rey saw Ben's eyebrows lift, and she shrugged. 

“Where did you grow up?” Ben fumbled for another subject, uncertain how to talk about anything that wasn’t work or books. 

"Los Angeles. I mean, up until I was six I lived in England, but my parents went missing. Which is how I came to have this adorable accent and a tragic backstory to boot." She wrinkled her nose, frowning before brightening again.

"What about you?"

“That is very Charles Dickens... I grew up in Washington D.C. Then New York. Nothing too special,” Ben shrugged and nodded at Rey, ”Did Maz ever take you along when she worked?”

"To investigations? Yeah, all the time. No exorcisms or any of that, but at least two to three times a week when I was growing up, I would go and serve as my aunt's assistant. I can't smell sage without thinking of home."

“Wow. I mostly hung out with my hippie uncle and nanny until I went to boarding school. You definitely have a have a much more interesting childhood.” Ben shifted, trying to find a comfortable sitting position that didn’t involve kicking brake or gas pedal in front of him.

Rey laughed, clapping a hand over her mouth to quiet herself as Poe grunted in his sleep next to her. "That's one way to put it. It certainly made me the weirdo of the Ladylike channel." She raised an eyebrow at him, leaning a bit closer, resting her chin on her hand. "Why does it not surprise me that you had a nanny?"

Ben rolled his eyes, ”Lots of people had nannies.”

"Yeah, but most of them inherit a business instead of working in video production at BuzzFeed." Rey bumped her shoulder against Ben's, grinning at him.

“Well, I am the black sheep of my family. Buzzfeed pays my bills while also exasperating and embarrassing my family. It was a good career move,” Ben shifted and uncrossed his arms before returning Rey’s smile, just a twitch of his cheeks, revealing his dimples.

"I almost wish my career would exasperate my family, but no, my aunt always bugs me about 'pushing my boundaries'." She sighed, rolling her eyes. 

"She'll probably watch this show and tell me that I'm going too vanilla and I need to sacrifice something on camera to get actual results during our ghost investigations."

Ben choked and began to wheeze with laughter his face turning bright red.

Rey bit her lip to stifle her chuckle, leaning close to stage whisper, "Please don't choke to death while driving. I don't want to have to investigate your subsequent haunting."

“Holy shit. You and I have lived very different lives. Very different,” Ben managed to catch his breath, coughing a little.

"That's what happens when you have a nanny-- you don't get encouraged to sacrifice things to properly 'express yourself'." Rey joked, bracketing her words with air quotes.

Watching Ben's mouth open in a question, she raised a finger to him to prematurely cut him off. "No, I have never sacrificed anything. I burn sage and sometimes read tarot and my aunt bought me an Ouija board for my 13th birthday, but I've never used it."

“See, I was raised by Puritans. No attachments, no feelings and lots of work, to build character,” Ben shrugged, ”I would have liked to have a Ouija board.”

"You poor thing. I'll make sure you get the chance to use an Ouija board before the year ends at least." Rey smiled, yawning as she stretched. 

Talking with Ben was easier than she expected, but perhaps it was because Poe wasn't piping up every other second and her somber coworker wasn't stuck behind his laptop.

“I have one now, but I think that teenage me would have liked one.”

"Let me guess, you listened to a lot of heavy metal, didn't wash your hair much, skateboarded and maybe threw in a 'hail Satan' every so often to really stick it to your religious family?" Rey leaned on her armrest again, hoping that Ben wouldn't think she was trying to trap him in. "You seem like you were that kind of rebellious teen."

Ben rolled his eyes and unlocked his phone, pulled up a photo and presented it to Rey. He was a clean-cut teenager, who fenced, and did calligraphy. “Everything you just said was completely wrong.”

"Color me surprised." Rey peered at the phone, raising her eyebrow. "That's almost freaky."

Ben shrugged, “Well, at least you can admit when you’re wrong. It’ll be helpful when we encounter bullshit on the road.”

"I'm guessing Hux wasn't a fan of being wrong?"

Rey remembered running into Hux the day after she was asked to take his place. He hadn't been exactly kind about his former partner, going so far as to take her by the shoulders and slightly shake her as he babbled about the strange things Ben had wanted to do with the show. He had scoffed when she had meekly replied that she hadn't made up her mind yet. 'Trust me, working with Ben Solo is one of my biggest regrets. Don't let it be yours.' he had said.

Rey stayed quiet, then and now, waiting for Ben as he mulled over his answer.

“Okay, so one time, we went to a house where there was a demon and I kind of taunted it. Hux couldn’t finish our camp out and cried on camera,” Ben shrugged and grinned.

"Oh, that's mean." Rey feigned disappointment, a smile breaking through. "Was that the Sallie House episode? You literally laid on the pentagram with your belly exposed for the demon to slap! And called it a motherfucker."

She giggled, shaking her head, "I was surprised that Hux came back to work after that episode."

Ben felt himself begin to flush still grinning,”Well, I really don’t like him.”

"Well, hopefully I don't follow his example. I'd hate to be the object of your hatred and a demon's too." She stuck her tongue out, trying to ignore how cute Ben looked with his flushing cheeks. She cleared her throat, humming to herself.

"I promise that I'll never chicken out of a camp out situation."

_______________

The Winchester Mystery House. Ben parked his black Prius outside and turned to Rey and Poe. “So, we’re about to do some haunted shit. No crime this week.” Poe looked a little pale and Rey? She looked excited, with pink cheeks and bright eyes. Rey looked beautiful and that was unsettling to Ben.

"I already have my spirit box and audio recorders so I can get some EVPS. The last I was here, Maz took a picture of me and a spirit right when we caught an EVP. I'm so happy to be back."

She wriggled happily in the backseat, her movements limited by the pile of video and audio equipment. She and Poe had switched places after their lunch stop, listening to the producer harass her co-star to no end. In moments like that, the two almost seemed like friends, or even brothers. Ben cleared his throat and she stopped wiggling, almost embarrassed.

“Cool, cool. Sounds good. I’m going to unload the equipment,” Ben coughed, feeling uncomfortable. This was their first overnight shoot and he just thought that Rey was beautiful. Fuck. He clambered out of the car and slammed the car door harder than necessary.

Rey hummed to herself as she gathered up a camera bag and her backpack. Getting out of the car, she let her eyes drift over to Ben, who seemed to be already scouting out a spot to do the episode's intro on. Turning back to Poe, she raised an eyebrow.

"Is Ben in a bad mood or is this just how he is whenever there's a campout?"

Poe shrugged at her and grinned, his voice muffled as he ducked into the car to grab more equipment. "Ben's temperamental sometimes. Maybe his shirt tag is bothering him. It could be anything."

Ben and Rey turned on their body cameras and entered the Winchester Mystery House. They did the history of the house, doing the start of episode banter thing, joking with each other and Poe. Rey was happy and excited, which made it hard for Ben to concentrate. Finally, he paused for a moment, took a deep breath and locked away those observations away.

Turning to Rey, he took a long sip of his coffee, “I think that Mrs. Winchester just liked having people around and contractors are a good excuse to have lots of people around.”

"I mean, with her grief, I'm sure it helped, but when at least one of the contractors becomes a ghost after he dies? I'm more inclined to think that there was a bit of supernatural precedence in the house even when she was alive."

Rey stretched, pulling her hair back into a high ponytail. "I mean, if she was contacting spirits, even if there weren't any bugging her before, she probably attracted a lot to her and the house."

“Are spirits attracted to you, Rey?” Ben paused, considering how that question sounded, “Given your experience as a kid.”

"More so than potential dates." She rolled her eyes at the camera. "Much to the dismay of my aunt, but she was the one who took me on ghost hunts."

She grinned all the same, shrugging. "I can't confirm or deny the fact that I may be a homing beacon for spirits. There's a reason why I smudge the shit out of my apartment."

“Rey, for our viewers, why don’t you explain what smudging is?” Ben took a step back from Rey, trying to give her space. She smelled flowery and warm.

"It's a cleansing ritual where you burn sacred herbs--or sage, if you're a poor millennial like me-- to purify your home and space. It's like blessing, but without the holy water." Rey shuffled her weight from foot to foot, wondering if she was hearing things as a small creak sounded from across the room.

Absentmindedly, she shifted closer to Ben, as if to hide behind him if need be.

“Fun aside - I would like to run through Washington D.C. and smudge that entire city,” Ben glanced down at Rey, “Are you cold or hiding?”

"Both?" Rey looked up at him, smiling weakly at him. "Sorry, I blame the fact that my aunt used to use me as a litmus test for spirits when I was like, 5." 

She turned back to the camera, explaining, "Children are more inclined to see spirits and pick up on untoward energy. She used to send me in to wander houses while she talked to the clients. I should probably go to therapy for all the shit I saw."

“Maybe you should be in a Try Guys video - Rey Tries Therapy. I like it. I talk about what it was like to go to a boys boarding school for my entire childhood,” Ben commented before shoulder checking Rey, “Let's wander around and figure out where we’re sleeping.”

"For some reason, your childhood sounds worse than mine and my aunt used to send me to find actual demons." Rey rolled her eyes, hip checking Ben in response. 

"Let's try the seance room. Lots of activity there. Although, if you get stuck on those narrow and short stairs, I'm leaving you there so the ghosts can get you first."

“I’m going to definitely leave you in the basement if you leave me in those stairs,” Ben muttered following behind Rey while sipping on his coffee, “It’s really actually very beautiful here. I don’t get why people think it’s so terrible here. I get why ghosts might want to hang out here. It’s nice.”

"It's not so much that it's terrifying-- I mean, the unfinished portions are-- but it's the context under which the building was constructed. The fact that there are spots where you can see nails half driven in, because the workers heard Sarah died... It's just eerie." She glanced back at Ben, cheeks flushing in his flashlight's glow. "Sorry, that may have been a bit sentimental. I just feel a lot of sadness hanging in the air."

“Just a bit sentimental, but someone needs to have feelings on this show. I think that what you’re actually feeling is the sadness associated with working with Poe. This house? It’s really something. I think it’s cool. I’d live here,” he waggled his fingers at Poe’s camera,”Hello Sarah. I like your aesthetic.”

"She'll probably really like you. Anyone who takes the time to appreciate her work, even if she did it under odd circumstances...well, let's just say that you may get a picture with Sarah." 

Rey grinned at her partner. "If we get pictures with ghosts, I dare you to make a tinder profile. Get all the girls or guys."

“If Sarah takes a photo with me, we’re obviously going to get married. Sarah gets the Ben Solo aesthetic, and I know that she would absolutely hate my family. Which is a plus,” Ben rolled his eyes, “I do not date Rey. My true love is Buzzfeed... and Sarah Winchester.”

"Meanwhile, I'm bent on staying single, which is why my tinder only has ghost pictures. And pictures of my aura. It's all about balance." She winked at the camera.

"Maybe if we're lucky, we can witness the first marriage between a ghost and a living being. Though Ben is super dead inside."

Ben gave Rey a flat look, “I’m going to tell your Aunt Maz all about that bartender who believed in ghosts that was all into you at lunch that you totally shut down. I might be dead inside, but at least my parents know they should give up on grandchildren.”

"You wouldn't dare." She frowned at him. "A single Rey is a better ghost hunter. I don't have to worry about bringing back bad juju to my boyfriend."

“What if your boyfriend believed or like hunted ghosts too? You need to be more like Sarah and open yourself to possibilities. Maybe that’s bartender is the ghost hunting life partner of your dreams and you just like, shut that down because you wanted Chipotle?” Ben shook his head at Rey, an expression of mock sadness on his face.

"Oh fuck off, Ben. Chipotle is better than a bartender that I found on Tinder two minutes after I started talking to him. Half his profile contained typos and the other half spouted off his love for Trump."

She huffed at him, glancing at the camera. "We're editing most of that out."

"Besides, Ben, you spent half of that interaction glaring at him and correcting him on his own ghost story." She snorted. "Even Poe wasn't cockblocking me as much as you were."

“I wasn’t cockblocking. If I was doing that I could’ve just stolen your phone or something. Deleted the app.”

"You mocked him the entire time and seemed relieved when I insisted that we go to Chipotle instead." She glanced back at Poe, at first for support, but then she saw his grin.

"I'm editing this video, Dameron. No ship baiting."

Ben shrugged, “Look, you better document my courtship with the Widow Winchester. That’s the real romance here.”

In the basement, Ben noticed a little alcove where someone his height could duck down and jump out at Poe. Tucking himself into the corner, he heard Poe’s shuffling footsteps and waited for the producer’s shadow to draw closer. Once the shadow was close enough, Ben leaped out of the alcove and threw his arms around Poe while growling like an inhuman beast.

The trouble was that it wasn’t Poe. It was Rey.

Rey hadn't heard herself shriek so shrilly since high school when she was dragged into a Halloween haunted house, but here she was, screeching as if it'd do her any good. She blindly swatted at her attacker, only pausing when she heard the familiar grunt of her partner and her fear turned into anger.

"Benjamin Solo, you overgrown eleven-year-old, what the hell are you on?" She glared up at him, even as his arms still bracketed her shoulders, his presence too close to hers for comfort. "You better be praying that Poe is shitting his pants in fear at my scream and not trying to track us down, because if you don't let me go this instance, he will not let either of us live this down."

“Fuck! I thought you were Poe!” Ben gasped out apologetically, before holding Rey out at arm’s length to inspect her before pulling her back to hug her close. “Shit, did I hurt you? Are you ok?” He searched Rey’s expression, clearly panicked. 

“Oh sorry. I’m holding you.” Ben immediately let go of Rey and stepped away from her.

Rey cast a cursory glance down at herself, assessing any possible damage, besides her pride, before rounding on Ben. "Solo, I don't expect to know exactly how your previous ghost hunts went, but if this was any indication, it doesn't surprise me that you didn't get results." She huffed angrily, one hand on her hip, the other reaching up to poke him in the chest.

"We are in a place that was someone's home,that held each and every moment of her grief and desperation as she tried to make sense of the world and her emotions with what little information she had to go on. She built a wonderful, beautiful mystery of a home, and if you plan on besmirching Mrs. Winchester's legacy by playing hide and seek instead of looking for proof, then I suggest that you stick to one side of the house because I don't want to deal with that shit."

She should have felt some semblance of embarrassment, some fear that he would insist that she couldn't take a joke. She didn't care though, crossing her arms now and glaring at him, as if she expected him to try to sweet talk his way out of it.

Rey hoped that it was fully because of anger that her heart was beating so hard, her skin flushing as her mind unhelpfully reminded her of the tight hug he had pulled her in after realizing his mistake.

Ben Solo didn't seem like the hugging kind. Apparently apologies changed that. “I honestly just wanted to mess with Poe. He’d been making shitty jokes about the house and I figured if Clyde the Caretaker didn’t get him down here, I’d at least give him a few more gray hairs.” Ben looked chastened, deep frown lines appearing on his face, “I do take this seriously. Well, unless it’s demons, because they’re not real. Are you okay? I am so sorry.” Ben couldn’t help but again notice the flowery warm smell coming from Rey. He was reminded of the smells of the gardens in the spring back in Washington D.C.

Rey chuckled quietly, rolling her eyes at his demon denial again. "I'm fine. You just scared me."

She glanced up at him again and reached up, plucking a cobweb that had snagged in his hair from crouching in the alcove, her hand gentle as she swiped it off. "I'm sure that you won't have to reduce yourself to cheap scares to get a rise out of Poe. I left him in the seance room. I may have left a pendulum with him to play with."

Rey grinned and shrugged one shoulder. "If you're going to scare someone, do it to the guy surrounded by cameras who's a dumbass enough to play medium."

Ben looked down at Rey fondly, “You are an evil genius. Where have you been my entire career?” He noticed a smudge of dust on Rey’s cheek and wiped it away with his thumb, cupping the side of her face.

Rey wondered if her face was flushing because of Ben's warm hand against it or if it was something else entirely, his palm heavy against her cheek. 

"For at least the first few years of it, I was probably in college," she joked back, trying not to shiver in the basement's cold air. She was half tempted to lean into his hand, but she resisted, looking up into his brown eyes, waiting for him, or for anything, to do something.

“Making me feel like a gross old man is a cruel revenge Kanata,” Ben couldn’t help but notice how Rey hadn’t pulled away. Her eyes sparkled and stayed focused entirely on him. He hadn’t drawn away from Rey either, and for a moment, Ben considered moving closer until he remembered the cameras. The ghosts. His job.

“The cameras. Work,” Ben stepped away from Rey and pulled his hand away from her cheek as if he’d been stung.

Rey swallowed the lump that threatened to form in her throat as Ben pulled away, nodding mindlessly at his muttering.

Clearing her throat, she shook herself a little, trying to remember what she was doing. Investigating. Right. She could feel Maz's disappointment already and she was sure she'd get a text later about being professional during hunts.

With that, she turned away, clicking on her flashlight. "I'm going to try and find Clyde, if you care to join me. Or go check on Poe and make sure he hasn't been possessed yet."

“I’d rather go with you if that’s okay, Poe’s more than a match for anything supernatural. Let’s see what Clyde is up to,” Ben turned on his flashlight trying to understand the flash of disappointment on Rey’s face. What did that mean? He had to be imagining things.

"Alright, but if he gets possessed, I'm blaming you." She wrinkled her nose, schooling her face in indifference as Ben glanced her way again.

She wasn't sure if she actually was disappointed or if she was merely put off--after all, Ben had a tendency to flip on a dime from friendly to aloof and she still wasn't sure how or why he did it so much with her.

“How exactly would we know if Poe was possessed? I can’t imagine that he would be much different.” Ben tried to ignore the prickles that had erupted along his skin as he walked next to Rey, their arms occasionally brushing. He considered that they’d be bunking down in the seance room in a few hours and unexpectedly shivered. Curiouser and curiouser. Someone must have walked over his grave.

"If he starts talking of hidden knowledge and is stronger than you-- you look like you're freaking made of marble, don't give me that look-- then he's possessed." Rey sighed, scuffing her shoe across the floor to kick away a pebble.

"It's not fair that he gets to go back to the hotel tonight and we're at the mercy of ghosts and each other in a cold room."

“No one is stronger than me, well that works at BuzzFeed at least. I’ve got some extra blankets packed if you need them... I’m not that bad you know, I don’t bite,” Ben told Rey as he watched her sulk a bit at the thought of their overnight stay.

"If I didn't know better, I would think you were offering to snuggle with me, not share blankets." Rey giggled as she stuck her tongue out at him before groaning at herself.

"Jesus, we're going to have to edit out just about all of our personal interactions so we don't ship bait." Ben grunted his disapproval at this realization and paused, “This is where Clyde typically makes an appearance.” Without thinking, Ben shut off his flashlight, “I have a feeling that everything we do is going to probably be ship bait. We should make sure that one of us edits these type of videos and deletes the originals.”

"Fair enough." Rey fumbled for the spirit box in her pocket, glancing at Ben. "If we don't get a visual, we can at least try to get some audio. Do you want to try and ask Clyde to come out?"

In response, Rey smiled at Ben and shut off her flashlight. They stood there in the dark for three minutes, waiting. Nothing seemed to happen. There was a tension, a thrumming in the air that seemed to intensify the moment that Rey’s flashlight shut off. After the three minutes were up, Ben moved to turn on his headlamp and his fingertips brushed Rey’s hand. A frisson went through Ben, starting from his fingertips that brushed Rey’s to the ends of his hair.

Abruptly, he turned away. “Let’s check on Poe.”

Rey get her hand fisted at her side as she nodded, feeling as if she had just brushed against a live wire, goosebumps breaking out across her skin. She wished that she could chalk it up to a ghost, but no, she knew that it was from the very real, very solid touch of Ben's fingers against her skin. She bit her lip and shivered, nodding as she followed Ben up the stairs.

"Good call. Besides, it's probably time to turn in for the night."

He paused, truly considering for the first time that he’d be sleeping next to Rey. For some reason, Ben’s stomach tightened with a hot tension that he couldn’t quite name. It had to be the house. “Right, let’s kick Poe out and get some sleep.”

By the time they managed to find their way upstairs ("This house is a goddamn maze," Rey muttered to herself, wearily following Ben down another corridor), Poe was waiting in the front hallway. He looked pale, though not worse for wear, a wave of relief crossing his face when he saw the two approach. Rey pretended that she didn't notice how the producer's hand trembled when he passed the pendulum back, noting that the tip of it had broken off. She'd show that to Ben later, she mused, watching Poe retreat from the house, Ben's car keys in hand.

"So, I don't know about you, but I actually have pajamas to change into. Don't give me that look-- I'm stripping off camera, you won't have to edit any underwear shots out." Rey rolled her eyes as she lead the way up the stairs, beelining her way to her backpack for her sweatpants and nightshirt.

“No one wants to see that.” Ben muttered as Rey walked ahead of him, backpack in hand. His stomach gave a traitorous lurch that Ben couldn’t blame on the house. Nope. He wasn’t going there. Ben promised and he wasn’t fond of failure. It would surely be an awkward, horrible failure.

"Maybe I can find one of the 13 bathrooms to change in," Rey mused aloud to herself, humming in triumph as she opened the seance room's door on the first try, instead of searching around like she had the first time.

"It's either I find a bathroom or I strip off camera and you turn away." She jokingly elbowed Ben, wondering why his face was so pinched up. "Don't worry, even if you did look, the sight isn't much. I wore my least sexiest underwear on purpose."

“I’m not like that,” Ben grumbled. He wouldn’t look. That was abhorrent.

"I know you're not. Perish the thought." She rolled her eyes, setting the backpack down and wandering to the room's corner for her sleeping bag. 

"Are you planning on changing, or are you going to tough it out and sleep in jeans?"

“I have sweatpants,” he turned his back to Rey, shutting off his camera. “I’m just going to turn my back. I’m not going to look. Do whatever you want.” Rummaging around his backpack, he toed off his shoes, slipped off his jeans and put on his black sweatpants. Nothing to it. No big deal.

If it was for her damn shoes and skinny jeans, Rey was sure that she could have been just as quick with her change. It didn't stop her from screeching at Ben when he went to turn around to face her again (the poor man, he probably thought she'd be done by now). She couldn't be sure if he caught a glimpse of anything, her blue boyshorts having been on display before she yanked the sweatpants up.

Pulling the her college sweatshirt over her head, she sighed with relief. Sure, the bra would have to come off, but she could do that while covered. "It's safe to look now. Sorry."

“I didn’t see anything. Next time, I’ll ask for the all-clear.” He spluttered trying not to blush. Ben slipped on his camera rig, “Ready to start again?”

"One second," Rey murmured, reaching behind her back to unsnap her bra and pull the straps down her arm under the sweatshirt. In a moment, she's pulling the bra out from under her sweatshirt in triumph, turning to stuff it in her bag. 

"Okay. Now I'm ready." She turns slightly to grab her sleeping back, rolling it out as Ben clicks the camera on. In a moment, she'd check the other cameras they had set up earlier in the room, but for now, she wanted to add some semblance of comfort to her surroundings.

Ben turned around and with a nod to Rey he started turning on the room cameras one by one. He wished there was a way to network them that wouldn’t leave them open to tampering. Rey followed him out of the Seance Room and together they checked their other equipment room by room. It was strange, but there didn’t seem to be much need to talk. He trusted Rey to check her half of the equipment and make sure they had a good shoot. They finished the last set of cameras and headed back to the Seance room where Ben flopped onto his sleeping bag with a deep sigh. It was only 11:30 but he was strangely exhausted. “Do you feel weirdly tired?”

"I mean, yes, but I figured it was because I was coming down from the adrenaline rush you gave me earlier." She grabbed her pillow, hugging it to her absentmindedly as she thought.

"Worse comes to worse, it means that a spirit is drawing some energy off you so it can manifest. Which isn't great, but also kinda cool."

Ben let out a groan, “I have enough energy to give a shit about this shoot and that’s it. So if something is draining me, they’d better give us something really amazing. I’m still really sorry about scaring you like that. I will never and would never treat you like that.” He wiggled inside his sleeping bag and felt waves of exhaustion sweep over him. The trouble was that Ben wasn’t sleepy. It was going to be a long night, probably.

"Poor baby," Rey cooed jokingly, plucking up an extra blanket before slipping into her sleeping bag. Humming, she scooched herself across the floor, closer to Ben. 

"Shut up, I'm still cold," she muttered, snuggling further down into her sleeping bag

“I’m cold too, it’s okay. We’ll edit this part too, because we apparently just do this shit spontaneously,” Ben moved closer to Rey, “Has anyone ever told you that you just kind of walk through people’s boundaries? It’s not a bad thing, but... unexpected.”

"How do you mean?" Rey rolled over to look at him, propping herself up on her elbows. "Like I bug people until they like me, or...?"

She chewed on her lip, trying to think if anyone had told her that before. She couldn't think of an instance, and her lips quirked into a smile at Ben when she realized she had just been staring at him blankly for a few moments now.

“No, I just.” Ben looked over at Rey, she seemed worried and nervous, “I don’t like anyone really. But I like working with you. I always had to check Hux’s work, but I just... trust you.”

"Oh. Well, good." Rey shrugged, laying back down and considering the ceiling thoughtfully. "I'm glad, but no, no one's told me that. It makes things easier though."

She glanced back at him with a grin, "Don't worry, I'll edit this out so you can maintain your scary reputation."

Ben laughed a little. “I have a feeling we’re going to start taking over a lot of the editing from Poe... I’m glad you said yes.”

"If I can help it, I'm doing all of the editing. Poe doesn't get to touch any of this unless I'm dead." She nudged Ben, smiling faintly.

"I'm glad I came on board. Even though you're a pain in the butt sometimes."

“Other than the scaring you part... Is there anything I can do better?” he felt like wiggling nervously. It felt like a loaded question.

"You're very twitchy when you're nervous." Rey mused, laying back to think. "Be a little more open. I get that you don't believe and demons and that's probably a good thing, but stop discounting it all the time. That's mostly a note for when you meet Maz. I don't care but she will kick your ass."

She tapped a finger to her chin, humming to herself. "And be honest with me. If anything changes with you or how you perceive me-- if you think I'm unprofessional-- tell me straight up. Unless you fall in love with me," she teased.

“It’s not that I don’t believe... it’s hard for me to be open. I’m an all or nothing sort of person. I think that there’s nothing in the universe that’s inherently good or evil. People decide how they influence things, and that sort of echoes in the places where they lived,” Ben hummed a little, “I don’t ever want to fall in love. My parents are very much in love with each other, but they tear each other apart. Just because you love someone, doesn’t make being with them a good idea. I’ve seen more compelling evidence that demons are actually real than evidence that being in love makes the world a better place.”

Rey glanced at Ben, his gaze firmly placed on the ceiling. He had thought about this a lot, and maybe it was because of that that she reached out for his hand, squeezing it gently.

"I think you're right, in a way. Sometimes love isn't a great idea, but there's always evidence to prove or disprove any point that someone could make. You just have to find someone to investigate with for the rest of your life."

She hummed, snuggling her face closer into her pillow, her hand still in Ben's. "Hopefully whoever you find to investigate with is as fun as I am."

“Doubtful,” Ben didn’t quite know what to do. He felt that same frisson from the basement when his hand brushed Rey’s once more. Rey didn’t move her hand, instead she laced her fingers through his, and Ben couldn’t recall the last time anyone held his hand.

"Is this me breaking through boundaries again?" Rey teased, letting his hand go, wishing that it didn't feel like she had let go of her only source of heat and light. 

"So, what did you and Hux usually do at this point of the investigation? Dueled? Made love? Had rap battles?" She grinned at him, laughing at Ben swatted her with his pillow.

“Fell asleep? In Hux’s case, I think he would text.” Ben really didn’t know what to say, he and Hux were definitely not friends and did not associate outside of their taping sessions.

“I'm not sleepy yet and I already texted Maz to say that the only thing I got harassed by was my coworker, not a ghost." She stuck her tongue out at him. 

"Want to play twenty questions? I promise I'll be good."

“I think that my marriage to Sarah Winchester is more likely than you adhering to the promise of being good... then again, what else do we have to do? Let’s make sure that this is something that we can actually keep in the episode.”

"Damn, you're no fun," Rey jokingly pouted before grinning and humming as she thought.

"When did you start believing in ghosts?"

“ I don’t know. I’ve always believed. My uncle had a pretty strong hand my upbringing, and he believed, so I believed. I don’t think that believe really became mine until I was in my teens.”  
Ben shifted and considered what he could ask Rey next. “Why work at BuzzFeed?”

"Because why not? They're one of the leading media companies of today, and the perks are cool. It's the first time I get to have my birthday off ever, so I love it. I'm a simple girl to please."

He nodded, that made sense. Rey seemed to generally like her work, and that was interesting. Most days Ben didn’t know if he liked his job or not. He was good at it, it was interesting. Liking it never really seemed to matter to him much.

"How did you get into Unsolved? Your brainchild, I'm guessing?"

“Yeah. I originally wanted to do a history show, but BuzzFeed didn’t think that was going to be successful. So I sold them on true crime and the supernatural. Now the trend seems to be weird history, I’m hoping they’ll let me try again.” He started up at the dark ceiling trying to see if there was anything beyond the two of them in the Seance Room. 

"If you do get a weird history show, have me on the panel or something. I like weird shit."

“ I was pretty much going to assume that you would want to do it. We seem to like a lot of the same things. But if you got to do your own independent project, what would you do?”

“I'm not sure, honestly. There's so many things I could do. I'd probably do some stupid shit like 'we tried playing with haunted dolls!'" Rey laughed.

"It's either that or I would have a semi-scripted project about relatable topics. Like what it's like to have a crush." She wrinkled her nose at Ben. "Though they'd probably make you be my love interest since I don't scare you."

“Remember, it’s an independent project, you’d get to decide who your love interest was. No Poe forcing me on you or anything. So you could do whatever you wanted.” Ben wondered why Rey had just assumed they’d work together on any of her independent projects. 

"Meh, I'd still have you be it. You're probably the only one that I like well enough to be my love interest."

He let out a choking noise that was a close cousin of laughter. “You’re insane. Not even Finn? If you looked up the word likable in the dictionary, there would just be a picture of Finn smiling.”

"Finn was my producer long before he was my friend. Besides, he's dating Rose now and he's been in a few Ladylike videos as her boyfriend. It's BuzzFeed canon now. Even if they broke up, I still couldn't cast him in a video."

She rolled her eyes. "I think you're likable, get over it."

“Why? That’s my next question. You keep saying that I’m likable, but I just don’t see why. We’re definitely cutting this question.”

"Because you respect me. You want to hear what I have to say. And yeah, you try to seem scary but you're not. But maybe I'm biased. You hugged me, after all."

Ben made a sound that clearly communicated his disbelief, but didn’t say anything to Rey.  
“Well, your turn.”

"What do you like about me the most?"

“I like your passion for the project and for what you do. I like that you’re nice to everybody, because I do not understand that at all. And I like that you’re not afraid of me.” It was easier than he thought to answer that question. 

"There's nothing to be afraid of. Yeah, you can be an asshole sometimes, but you're just intense. If people can't handle that, then they can get the fuck out." She smiled at him, propping herself up on her hand to look at him.

"Your turn."

“Does anything actually scare you?”

"The usual stuff. Abandonment. Dissatisfaction with my life. Never finding anyone to share it with." She rested her head on her hands, looking at Ben who continued to stare at the ceiling. "What about you?"

“That’s really sort of deep stuff, I’m mostly afraid of ending up like my parents or owing a lot of money to the IRS, but not knowing about it until they come to repossess my house.” He shrugged and closed his eyes before reopening them, willing them to adjust to the darkness. 

"Great, now you reminded me of Big Brother. Taxes are terrifying." She jokingly shivered in fear before grinning.

"This is weird, but do you think I'm pretty? I have a bet going with the girls from Ladylike because I'm a masochist."

“Of course I think you’re pretty. Everyone at work is pretty. That’s ridiculous. Come up with a new question.” Ben gave up on trying to stare into the darkness to roll over and look at Rey. 

"No, like pretty to you. Like if you saw me in the street and didn't know me, would you wish that you knew my name?" She hit him with her pillow, rolling her eyes. She was starting to become sleepy, and let herself snuggle closer to Ben on the cold floor, her head nearly on his shoulder now.

Ben sighed, “I’m really the wrong guy to ask about hypothetical situations. I don’t really think that way, to be honest. I’m not asexual, but I just don’t really think that way about anyone.”

"Well, you made me $40 richer," Rey grinned at him sleepily, trying not to throw an arm over him as she cuddled her pillow, feeling Ben's warmth through the sleeping bag. "Your turn."

“Betting on me? That’s cold Kanata, so cold... Why do you even care if I think you’re pretty? I’m just some guy you work with.” Rey snuggling into him was somehow not weird, which made him feel even more weird about their overnight. It was like they’d always been working together. 

"Because everyone at the office is betting that we eventually fuck. And with you being hell bent on professionalism--which no one seems to believe, which stacks the odds at least 50 to one, with the one being me-- it's an easy bet to win. Finn has a pool going."

She shrugged casually, peeking at him. "Sure, if you find me pretty, that's a nice compliment, but trust me, I'm not trying to infringe on your bachelor lifestyle."

Ben continued to frown deeply. “I am totally not missing out out on being friends with anyone in the office. That’s what you’re saying. I don’t get how that’s interesting to anyone.” He shifted, obviously uncomfortable. “They’re not my friends. No one has ever even asked me to hang out with them, but they want to talk about my sex life? No way.”

"People like to see love and attraction wherever they can. Even if it's just professional or friendly." Rey frowned, rolling to more fully face Ben.

"Ben, would you like to hang out with me sometime?"  
“Aren’t we hanging out right now?”

She knew that it was a risky question, considering the deeper issue underneath. She could be reading the entire thing so wrong-- he may be fine with having coworkers, not friends, and he was merely annoyed by the inconvenience of it all. "Outside of work, I mean." She shrugged, wondering if her face was growing hot, ready to turn away in embarrassment. "Maybe it was a stupid question-- sorry."

Ben paused, considering, “Yeah. I’d like that. I mostly just read outside of work? I keep to myself a lot. I can’t guarantee that I'll be interesting, but I will show up.”

"Really?" Even in the dark, Rey was able to find Ben's eyes, and she swallowed thickly, wondering how close to tears she had been over this. She quirked her lips in a smile, snuggling closer.

"Cool."  
“I’ll even tell you my address. Buzzfeed just has a PO Box where I get all my mail and Amazon packages sent. Top secret information.”

"Wow, you really know how to make a girl feel special," she joked, brushing her forehead against his shoulder. They were practically cuddling, but Rey couldn't find it in her to care. It was cozy. That's all that mattered.

“I’ll be sure to update my resume,” he replied dryly, enjoying Rey’s closeness. Normally, he’d be taking a few steps away from anyone who got so close. Rey just didn’t set off his interpersonal alarm bells. Maybe that should worry him, or maybe, Ben finally had a friend in LA after five years.

"It's your turn to ask a question. You can ask an embarrassing or super personal one. I don't care." Rey grinned at him, all but burying her face into his sweatshirt.

“I don’t really know what to ask you... Is there something that you think I should know about you?”

"I have a Ghost busters tramp stamp." Rey deadpanned, biting her lip to keep from giggling, looking solemn.

“No you don’t, and if you do, I definitely need to see it.” He feinted and pretended to move towards Rey to check her lower back for a tattoo.

Rey shrieked, laughing as she tried to get away, squirming as Ben's arms wrapped around her to keep her still. Her forehead brushed against his, but she was too busy giggling to realize the sheer closeness they were in now.

“Rey? We are ridiculous humans. I am going to let you go, but you are not allowed to tickle me. If you do tickle me, I’ll be forced to crush you.”

"I promise nothing," Rey grinned, holding her hands up in surrender. Ben eyed her warily, but she was sure there was a hint of a smile at the corners of his lips.

"I do have a tattoo, if you actually want to see. It's not Ghostbusters, but it's cute."

Ben sighed and let Rey go. “No, it’s fine. I don’t need to see your tattoo, whereever it is.”

"It's not a tramp stamp. Still being professional." She rolled her eyes, scooting up out of her sleeping bag to lift her sweatshirt up about halfway up her back.

"It's Taurus's constellation. It's the one thing that Maz doesn't know about."

Ben looked at the delicate tattoo and then looked away, “I guess I should tell you about my secret wife and kids?”

"I honestly don't know if I want you to be joking or not." Rey glanced back at him, mouth twisted up in a wary smile, eyebrow raised. "Did you get your secret wife and kids for your high school graduation too?"

“I don’t have a secret wife and kids. I just felt like saying that. I didn’t actually do anything for my graduation, my mom gave the commencement speech at another school, so I just skipped it.”

"I didn't go to either of my graduations. I went to get a tattoo with Jess-- she's my bestie from high school, we go way back-- and then in college, I was on an investigation that day."

“What did you investigate?”

"An old prison turned hostel in Canada. It was nice-- not scary, just very sad. I'd like to go back one day." She straightened her shirt, crossing her legs as she sat on her sleeping bag.

"I'm still not sleepy. I may go wander if you want to sleep."

“I’m good to wander if you are... the hostel sounds like it might make for a good investigation.”  
He stood, stretching and offered a hand up to Rey.

"Where should we wander? Should we find the door to nowhere? The hall of fireplaces? I'm up for anything." She took his hand, letting herself be pulled up. She squeezed his hand before letting go, stooping down to grab the spirit box.

“Both? I’m not very sleepy and I’d like to give the spirit box a go. I’ve never worked with one before. They just seem like random noise”

"It's really loud, so you better prepare your old man ears for it." She glanced at her phone, mused whether or not her aunt would be up at this time.

"If we get any results from the spirit box, we could call Maz. A clairvoyant can be a good thing to have on hand."

“I blew out my hearing years ago going to concerts as a teenager,” Ben frowned at the little box and wondered what secrets it held. “Does it ever bother you not being a clairvoyant?”

"It's still not a pretty sound. And nah. I'm glad that I'm not. It makes things too difficult." Rey glanced at Ben and smiled faintly, sadly even. "Maz says that her sixth sense is the reason she never got married. Half the reason she pushes me so hard about dating is because she doesn't want me to be alone. She hates that I'm even a bit sensitive. Every time someone offered to help me hone my abilities, she'd beg me not to."

She shrugged, "I don't mind. I'd hate to see way too much that I didn't want to see."

Ben nodded numbly, that made a little too much sense to him. Knowing too much more in his case, feeling too much.

"Of course, even though it killed her love life, it made her a good parental figure. It did make her annoying though-- she'd tell me before I'd go on a date that it wouldn't work out. When your aunt goes into a trance to tell you that your homecoming date will get another girl pregnant two years after you go to one dance...well, it kills any motivation to try dating."

Rey smirked, shooting a text off to Maz. "One day, I let her take over my Tinder. That was a trip."

“You actually have a Tinder? I think believing that Tinder will help you meet someone that’s not a total miscreant is far more unlikely been finding evidence of demonic activity somewhere,” Ben tried to lighten the mood, but he knew all too well what it was like for families to sabotage relationships, even when they meant well.

"I never open it. I got it for a Ladylike video-- in fact, it was for the Ladylike video that I let Maz loose with my Tinder. Everyone thought her aunt instincts would overpower the clairvoyant side, but nope. She swiped left on everyone. Not that I minded. Again: a single Rey is a happy ghost hunter." She wrinkled her nose at him. "If you ever catch me on my Tinder, find a way to entertain me or throw my phone away. It means that I'm bored or desperate and you're probably the only one I'll listen to reason from."

“That sounds like an excellent plan to not get murdered... I’ll watch the video sometime.”

"Oh, it's so much fun. The girls made Maz swipe right on one guy and she completely dragged him after sending a dick pic. If it wasn't for the fact that I'd probably burn if I walked into a church, she'd have sent me to the nunnery."

"Just make sure no one knows that you watched it. Poe and Finn may think up another reason to do a spin-off/collaboration, and you would not like that."

“I can’t imagine you burning if you walked inside of a church, and if you did, God really is a massive dick. “

"I literally was a demon litmus test. I think I'd understand why God would set me on fire."

“Nah, I think if God gave you that gift, why would he punish you for it?”

"Because reading tarot is apparently witchcraft and I'm 40% sure I have a Salem witch as an ancestor."

“Again, I really don’t see anything wrong with either of those things. Everyone knows that the Salem witches were just successful people that people persecuted for living their best life.”

"You know how the normal people are--they romanticize Ted Bundy and claim that God hates anyone who is trying to get answers a different way."

“Mental health issues can’t justify everything,” he agreed.

"Even if I do compare you to Bundy, just know that I'm not romanticizing either of you." She stuck out her tongue, trailing to the door and throwing it open, waiting for him to follow.  
“I think people would be extremely disturbed by you romanticizing Ted Bundy or myself. We’re not particularly romantic individuals.” Ben stifled a laugh and followed Rey into the dark interior of the Winchester Mystery House.


	4. Postmortem 1: The Winchester Mystery House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben could absolutely be Ted Bundy if he put in a little bit of effort.

Ben rolled his eyes and looked into the camera, “Okay, this is the Buzzfeed Unsolved Post Mortem, for our first episode together - The Winchester Mystery House. We have a bunch of questions from the internet that our producer Poe, picked out for us to read.” 

"Our first question is from David Dobrick via Facebook: Ben, seriously though, why don't you like Rey? Cuz she's out of your league?" Rey raised an eyebrow, flattening the paper in front of her, shaking her head.

"If I can answer for Ben: if we keep getting questions like this, not only will we never date to spite you, but we will start picking our own questions instead of our producer Poe."

From behind the camera came Poe's muffled comment, "Y'all know that you have fanfiction written about you, right?"

Ben let out a loud moan of annoyance. “Fuck. It’s been one episode. Is everyone on the internet a creepy thirst goblin? I want to die alone.” 

Rey sighed, barely looking at Ben. "To echo Ben: I want to die alone. Next question."

“Also, I cry after sex. Just lots of sobbing, and I think that would really make working with Rey uncomfortable,” Ben looked solemn and serious, it was difficult to tell if he was being facetious. 

"That is an understatement," Rey quipped back, cocking an eyebrow at the camera as if challenging the viewers to think about commenting on that statement.

“Our second question is from Instagram user GhostsArentReal, - Which serial killer do you think your cohost could possibly emulate?” Ben frowned. “I don’t think Rey could kill anyone. Except for Poe.”

Rey cackled, “This is the best question - thank you GhostsArentReal. Ben could absolutely be Ted Bundy if he put in a little bit of effort.” 

Looking at Rey, Ben scoffed, “No way. I’m too lazy to be a serial killer.” 

"You're educated, good-looking, and you know all the ploys that'd get girls to come to help you so that you can lure them off and murder them." She looks at the camera. "In fact, this may be a ploy just to kill me. Oooh noooo." She moaned melodramatically, feigning horror as she looked at her co-host.

“Well, Rey. The problem is that you’re alive, and I only like dead people.” Ben took a sip of his coffee, expression completely serious. “I’m sure someone is into you know, that. ” Ben looked at the camera while gesturing vaguely at Rey.

"Aww, I'm so glad we got this on camera. This may be the closest Ben will ever get to saying that I'm possibly attractive." Rey rolled her eyes.

“I think your head would look good on a stick?”

"I'll take it. See what happens when you've been single for too long, boys and girls? You accept compliments from a serial killer."

Ben flashed a grin at Rey. “You said I was educated, good looking and know all the ploys to get girls to pay attention to me. You’re not a victim. You’re Ann Rule.”

"I prefer to think of you as Gary Ridgeway and myself as Mary Ellen O'Toole. Almost a Lector-Starling relationship here, but you're arrogant and kinda dumb."

“Wait. Can we go back to where I was well-educated? I still have a lot of student loans, and I’d like to at least be recognized for that because I am going to be in debt until I die.”

"I think the more important thing to focus on is that I will survive this partnership because you do not find me sexually attractive or feel as if you can assert dominance over me by murdering, mutilating and more." Rey folded her hands under her chin, batted her eyes at Ben. "And I'm quite alright with that."

“How do I know that you’re not going to lash out at me like Aileen Wuornos?”

"Mostly because, though my childhood was traumatic, I also grew up in different circumstances and have never been placed in the position to sell myself out for money." Rey looked at the camera, commenting dryly, "Though many of you think that I did."

“I mean, we are both whoring ourselves out, so maybe we really just need to kill the thing that is oppressing and exploiting us both - Buzzfeed. The Revolution is upon us! Kill the bourgeoisie!” Ben grinned at the camera and then at Rey, “Join me in the Revolution.”

"Before Ben launches into a stunning rendition of the Communist Internationale, thank you all for joining us for another Unsolved Q+A. What do we have coming up next week, Benjamin the Great?"

"Rey - social distinctions, such as titles, can only be based on public utility. Next week, we'll be heading to Roosevelt Hotel and seeing what happens when we stay overnight in one of their most haunted suites."

"Oh, Ben, talk history to me." Rey rolled her eyes before waving enthusiastically at the camera. "See you guys next video!"


	5. The Enfield Poltergeist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is either a poltergeist or a labor dispute.

Rey glanced down at her notes again, clearing her throat and trying to get each and every last nerve out of her. Sure, it was the second show that she had done with Unsolved, but The Winchester Mystery House had been fully in the field. This was the first time she sat behind the table, and she was supposed to convince a skeptic (albeit, an open one) that the supernatural wasn't a hoax.

For a moment, she wondered if she could crawl under the table and not come out, blankly watching Poe and Ben bicker behind the camera.

Ben rolled his eyes at Poe and jabbed his index finger into the producer’s chest, “Don’t even think of doing that. I will quit and Rey will quit. Plus, I will send assassins.” He stomped over to Rey and threw himself into his chair. “Good morning. Our next episode should be about how Poe functions in mainstream society because he’s a soulless ghoul.”

"What did he suggest now? Mood lighting?" Rey tapped her paper against the table, trying to get everything in order as if to calm her nerves.

“Worse. He wanted to break our cardinal rule, and I told him that we’d quit, then have him assassinated,” Ben sipped his coffee and looked over at Rey’s notes, “It’s a bit weird to have a case presented to me. I like it, but it’s strange after two seasons. I think everyone will like the change too.” Ben added the last comment, thinking that he might insult Rey with that comment.

"How the fuck was he planning to bait the shippers? It's only the second episode," Rey scoffed, tapping her notes harder, trying to glare at the file folder they were in. So much for soothing her nerves. "If they don't like it, I'm more than happy to be the listener instead of the talker. I'm way too nervous for this shit."

“I don’t know and I don’t care... You’ll be great,” he replied awkwardly, trying to figure out how to reassure her in a way that was convincing.

"I feel your confidence just rolling off you in waves," Rey joked, folding her hands and looking at the camera, noticing that Poe was ready to countdown.

“I’m not sure how to emote in ways that aren’t hostile or dismissive. I’ll work on it.”

"Thank you, dear," Rey smiled, sticking her tongue out at him before turning back to the camera and taking a deep breath as Poe counted down. 

5, 4,3, 2...1. Rey grinned as brightly as she could at the camera, launching into the usual spiel. "This week on BuzzFeed Unsolved, we discuss the disturbing and slightly dubious case of the Enfield Poltergeist. Also, for the first time ever, you get to see Ben ill at ease because he's not in charge."

She glanced over at him, raising an eyebrow, "Nervous, Solo?"

“Not at all Kanata, I’m ready to see you take charge and show us this case,” Ben looked at the camera, “The biggest unsolved mystery is why people are still misogynistic in the 21st century.”

"That, kids, is called a Solo special, which is a mix of a call out and a clapback, usually reserved for our producer." Rey rolled her eyes, flipping the folder open.

"Let's get into it."

____________________________

“I really don’t think the neighbors are in on it, because it’s so hard for most people to keep a secret.” Ben drummed his fingers on the table, “It’s not one of Newton’s Laws, but tell anyone anything that’s slightly scandalous and everyone will know within an hour.”

"Well, there's a brownie point for you, because most skeptics like to think that the whole community was in on it. Which, fine, say that all you want, but a fucking *policewoman* included it in her report. I wouldn't put my job on the line for some prank bullshit if I don't actually believe it really happened."

He nodded and pointed at Rey. “Exactly. Sometimes the simplest explanation is the best option. I also don’t think the kids would be able to lie that effectively to everyone either. That would really be setting yourself up for a hard time as a parent. If this is a trick, it one that only a couple of people, at the most know about.”

"And some of the stuff was so fucked up that either the kids were on top of their shit or it was demonic." Rey glanced down at her notes again, wondering why her cheeks felt warm. Maybe it was the studio lights, or maybe it was the intense interest Ben had in his eyes when he looked at her.

"Anyways, the paranormal society tried to debunk the voices several ways. They had Janet hold water in her mouth before asking questions for 'Bill', the spirit, to answer."

“Nice one. How did that work out for Janet?” Ben took a sip of his coffee, intrigued by that particular debunking method.

"The voice was still able to come out crystal clear despite the water. Janet couldn't open her mouth, and they had several physic students watching her to see if her throat was moving or if she was throwing her voice someway. She wasn't, and even if she had, the stress of doing such a low voice would have fucked up her vocal cords within two months."

Rey grinned at Ben, leaning on her hand. "Plus, she knew of things that she shouldn't have known unless she went out of her way to research. Like the fact that Bill was an old tenant of the house she lived in and died of a stroke in the armchair in the living room."

Ben nodded, “So, this might actually be a legitimate poltergeist case or a labor dispute because if Janet is that talented, she wasn’t getting paid enough for it.”

Rey snorted, pinching her lips together as she giggled. "Yes, we could call it that. If you ask my aunt Maz though, it wasn't a Poltergeist, it was a demon."

Rey looked at the camera, solemnly adding, "In general, if shit is flying around your house and you're speaking of hidden knowledge, it's not 'a noisy spirit', it is a fucking demon. Get the fuck out of the house."

“I’ll be honest, I would just burn my house down. I don’t believe in demons, but whatever is happening there is definitely a bad situation. Also, if you make everyone leave their stuff inside, you’ll find out if anyone is lying about your haunting... People don’t like it when you burn their stuff.” Ben shrugged and looked at the camera, “That’s the kind of problem-solving you’ll get good at while going to college, kids.”

Rey looked over at Ben, raising her eyebrow, mouth quirked up. "This is why you're labeled a 'chaotic neutral' on Tumblr. What the honest fuck is that solution?"

“Wait, back up, you’re reading Tumblr posts about me?” a rumble of laughter escaped from his throat that Ben didn’t even try to hide. His face broke into a grin.

"No, I'm reading Tumblr posts about me and you just happen to be in half of them." Rey rolled her eyes at his chuckle, hiding her face behind her file folder. "Shut up."

“I’m not saying anything, but now that you’re super embarrassed, burning everything down does seem like a fantastic option to get you out of this situation, doesn’t it?”

"No. I'd rather kill you and Poe and go into hiding." She tapped her note pile together, clearing her throat.

"Anyways, before Mr. Chaotic Neutral got us off track... They also started asking the spirits to answer questions, such as math, to see if the knocking was an intelligent response before moving onto 'one knock for no, two for yes'."

"But then that turned into three knocks, which is demonic, but the investigator asked if the spirits were playing, and the guy got hit in the face with a flying box of cushions."

Ben shrugged, “I really think that it’s rude to just ask about someone’s identity like that... Man, just making snide comments is kind of fun.”

"I'm so glad you're enjoying yourself." Rey looked over at Ben and chuckled before looking at the camera. "Look at him. This is the most relaxed and happy I've ever seen Ben. Oh my god."

Ben shrugged,”What? You’re much better to be around than Poe or Hux? They are objectively the worst people in the world who aren’t fascists.”

"Aww thanks. I think." She rolled her eyes, turning back to her notes. "Apparently the Warrens stopped by at some point, but they actually weren't helpful...which, if you ask Maz, isn't surprising, but my aunt loves drama so do with that what you will."

“You guys will get to meet Maz at some point - she’s a fascinating person and will really like her,” Ben added helpfully, “I do have to agree. The Warrens seem to be like, some sort of sports person that used to be good, and then just collapsed into a really expensive mess.”

"I will keep my comments to myself because I'm planning on covering a few more of the Warrens' cases." Rey shrugged before waving at the camera.

"Hi, Aunt Maz. You've probably texted me by now to correct me on at least six points. Ben's doing well, as you can see."

“Okay, let’s just finish this episode, because we can’t let Poe edit it,” Ben waved at the camera, “Hello Maz!” 

Rey nodded, “So, that’s the case of the Enfield Poltergeist, and video evidence that Ben Solo can actually relax. We’ll see you later this week for our post-mortem. Don’t forget to send us your questions!” 

Poe cut the scene and Ben gave Rey a high five, “I see why people like not working at work. It’s fun. Good work, Rey. This was a good episode. You did really well.” Behind the camera, Poe made a strange coughing noise and Ben moved out of his seat, “Poe, you remain human garbage and I don’t know why Finn has a crush on you.”

**Author's Note:**

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